Awareness of Microaggressions

This week I was to observe my own and other people’s verbal interactions and detect examples of microaggression. Microaggressions are quick statements that contain insulting messages and can be based on any marginalized group. Whether it’s because I live and work around really kind people or because I don’t watch much T.V., I didn’t observe any microaggressions this week so far. Instead I did a little more reading about racial microaggressions and found this article while I was at it.

I've heard many microaggressions in my lifetime but off the top of my head I can just remember a few. There have been many times when people labeled someone who may be Asian as “Chinese” or “Japanese”. I probably made statements like that at one point or another before being more aware of stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice.Recently I heard someone describe someone as "retarted" and don't even get me started on people using the word "gay" as a synonym for dumb or stupid. I heard that far too many times when I worked with middle schoolers while I was in college. 

Sometimes microaggressions are spoken by well-intentioned individuals. It’s important to be aware of microaggressions and how they can impact the person they’re directed at. Microaggressions can make someone feel inferior, insulted and excluded. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

For this week’s blog assignment I was to ask three people to tell me their definition of culture and diversity. Their answer are as follows:

Person #1:

Culture: “The norms and practices of a group of people.”

Diversity: “A wide range of different kinds of things or people.”

Person #2:

Culture: “A person’s background. It shapes him and her into who they are today”

Diversity: “What sets someone apart from others.”

Person #3

Culture: “A collection of beliefs, gender, race, socio-economic status, language, values and more which guide our understanding of the world.”

Diversity: “All the ways one is unique compared to others in society.”

From what I have studied in this course, the people I have talked to touched on a number of important of aspects of these two words. Their responses about culture went beyond surface culture (artifacts, clothing, foods, holiday) and focused on deep culture.

Some additional items I could add to these definitions are as follows:

• -          Culture is learned from what’s around you. It’s a set of rules that governs what we do. Culture and gender are always connected.
• -          Some additional components to deep culture are: work, housing arrangements, religion, migration, ideas about education and many more.

This exercise was a good opportunity for me to think of my own definition of culture and diversity. I have certainly learned a lot about these two important words just from the first three weeks of this course. 

My Family Culture

EDUC 6164 Week 2

Scenario: 

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

One of items that I would bring relating to my family culture would be a DVD with a collection of home videos from when I was little. These videos include footage of some relatives who are no longer living, vacations, birthday parties and random funny clips from my sister and I as children. I would also bring a family history book that I made full of photos and stories of my maternal grandparents and their ancestors and offspring. Finally, I would bring my recipe box full of many of my mom’s recipes including a number of recipes from her grandparents. If anyone asked me about the items I brought I would explain that each of them provide many memories for me and are preserving my family history so it can be passed down to future generations.

If, upon arrival, I was told that I could only keep one personal item and have to give up the two other items I would be devastated.  To have something so terrible happen to your country and then to have your precious memories taken from you would be unbearable.

Reflecting on this scenario I have had to take the time to really think about the items that are important to me as I have weighed the value of each of them. I would have a very hard time leaving many albums and pictures behind, as those are extremely important to me. 

Final Week of 6163

Tomorrow marks my last day of the course “Building Research Competency.” Thank you to all of my colleagues for your support and suggestions as I worked on my research study simulation. I really enjoyed this course!

A few questions from this week:

1.      What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

From taking this course I now better understand ways to look for “quality” research. Some things I can do to see if a research paper is valid is look at the credentials of the researchers involved, compare research on similar topics and compare, and look to see which organizations (if any) are conducting or backing the research.

2.      In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

Before taking this course, the idea of conducting research was intimidating to me. Now that I have worked through each step through an 8 week long research simulation, I have a much better idea of what is involved in doing research. It has been very helpful to read a number of research papers along the way.

3.      What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

I learned a lot about ethical considerations to consider before designing research, especially when young children are involved. I read about informed consent, children and consent, confidentiality and privacy and cultural issues throughout this course. Decisions made when planning research studies should not be taken lightly.

4.      What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

When I first began designing my research study simulation, I found it challenging to decide if I was going to use qualitative or quantitative data for my study, because I found both methods beneficial. As I learned more about mixed-method research designed, I realized that using both methods would be the most beneficial for my study.

5.      What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I have been reminded about how important it is to use research to back up your educational philosophies. There are so many different perspective and beliefs about what is the “right way” to do things in the field of education. If you’re ever not sure, just look at what research says to make a well balanced decision. I have a great deal of respect for people who do research in the field of early childhood education. 

Research Around the World

For this week’s blog assignment I spent time learning about the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) or Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). I used the http://www.ecdvu.org/ssa/major_reports.php website to learn about research that is happening in the field of early childhood around the world.

What are some of the current international research topics?

·         There were a number of research articles relating to Indigenous people of Africa. Some other topics included framework for orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana and involving fathers in early childhood development.

What surprising facts/insights/new ideas about early childhood did you gain from exploring this international early childhood website?

·         One study I read looked at both rural and urban early childhood development programs in Ghana. The focus was looking at why there were problems against successful implementation of early childhood education in Ghana. This study found that teachers of all levels had insufficient knowledge of child development. There was also inadequate supply of teaching materials and staff who were not trained well. While I didn’t know much about education in Ghana I was surprised to read this. Thankfully, studies such as this one are being conducted to help early childhood programs to improve.

What other noteworthy information did you find on this website?

·         I was surprised at how many scholarly articles I found on this website. These are great resources for anyone learning about international early childhood research. 

Positive Effects of Research

This week we're looking at ethics in early childhood research. While some people believe that refraining from social research is the best way to avoid violating professional ethics, I have found a number of examples of how social research has positively changed people's lives. One example is of a positive change is the findings from the Carolina Abecedarian Project. I encourage you to read this article from the New York Times from last March. Checking in with research participants 42 years later has proved that significant benefits have come from providing low income families with full time day care and meals. This research project has a happy ending. I'm so glad to know that early childhood education is valued more today than ever.

EDUC 6163 Week 2

I am now taking the 5^th class in my Master’s program. This course is called Research Competency. My past few assignments have been exploring a research simulation. The topic I am interested in studying is how a mother’s sleep patterns during pregnancy affects her child’s sleep patterns. I chose this topic because I know how important sleep is for children’s growth and development and I’m curious to know how much of children’s sleep habits are aligned with their mothers’ sleep habits.

Colleagues – I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. What ideas do you have or challenges do you anticipate? I look forward to reading about your simulation ideas as well.